New Television Film about The Queen Has an Insider Source

A new made-for-TV movie about Queen Elizabeth II is being produced by Channel 4. The filmmakers have hired one of The Queen’s former press secretaries, Penny Russell-Smith, as a consultant on the project. The Queen is said to be disappointed at Russell-Smith’s decision to become involved with the production.

The dramatized look at The Queen’s life will be comprised of four episodes, each of which centers on a pivotal time in her life. There will be episodes covering HRH The Princess Margaret’s aborted engagement to Group Captain Peter Townsend in 1955, the kidnapping attempt on HRH The Princess Royal in 1974, the “annus horribilis” events of 1992 (including the divorce of The Princess Royal, the separations of HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duke of York, and the fire at Windsor Castle), and the marriage of The Prince of Wales to Mrs. Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005. The Queen will be played by different actresses at different points in the program, including Samantha Bond.

Palace staff are required to sign confidentiality agreements while in the service of The Queen, but after they leave their jobs they are free to speak — at the risk of alienating or angering the royal family. Ironically, Russell-Smith once publicly criticized Paul Burrell, former butler to Diana, Princess of Wales, for the tell-all book he published.

Russell-Smith was press secretary at Buckingham Palace from 2002 until 2007. Upon leaving her post, she was made a Commander of the Victorian Order in recognition of her service to The Queen.

For more information on the docu-drama or on The Queen’s reaction, please visit this thread.